Thankful For You
by The First Sight
Summary: A Thanksgiving-themed story, since it's Thanksgiving. Mild Dark/Krad & Satoshi/Daisuke.
1. Intro

_**Thankful For You: Intro.**_

So, I know these characters are not likely to celebrate Thanksgiving, but since it is Thanksgiving, I thought I'd write a short little bit of something. Everyone has their own bodies in this one, and it's skewed toward the Dark/Krad pairing, of course. Three years later, I can't seem to get away from those two. ^.^

Hey, fellow Minnesotans: Why is green bean casserole the only hotdish we don't call "hotdish"?

Also: I've learned recently that not everyone knows to put marshmallows on top of your sweet potatoes, or knows what cranberry relish is. The feast will be a reflection of what my family eats on Thanksgiving. I might make a short second chapter merely of food description if anyone's interested.

**Disclaimer:** Of course I don't own the characters. They wouldn't be quite as much fun if I did!

Happy Thanksgiving, folks! Enjoy.


	2. Part 1

_**Thankful For You**_

...Part 1...

There is a distinct feeling that happens around Thanksgiving. Through all the push and pull of the Christmas season trying to start too early and the last tendrils of Autumn trying to hold on just a bit longer... it's hard to describe, but it's pleasant. It's like... the feeling of being an impartial watcher of a tug-o-war match between two good friends. Something like that.

Kosuke helped Emiko lift a simmering turkey out of the oven and set it up on the stove to rest a while, while they finished off the rest of the meal's components: stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, cranberry relish, green bean casserole; the whole nine yards. The two of them were busy cooking away, laughing about this and that while they did so.

The season of cheer was about to begin, and you could feel it everywhere. Everywhere, that was, except near Krad.

Krad was lying on the couch, reading a book in which the plotline was cumbersome and was not going in the direction he would have liked. The smells coming from the kitchen made him hungrier than he'd ever felt in his long and drawn-out life. What was worse, Dark was prodding him in the face. Krad tried to push the irritant away from his face, but to no avail. When he had had more than enough, he sat up sharply and wheeled on Dark, who had to think fast in order to block the swat from a hardcover book aimed at his head.

"_What _do you want, Mousy?"

Dark lowered his defending arm cautiously. "Your attention. Did I get it?"

Krad inhaled tensely through his nose before slumping into an exasperated sigh. "Yes. You did. I would appreciate it if next time you did not try to bruise my face." Krad rubbed the sore spot on his cheekbone gently. "I could do much worse to you for it."

Dark stood from where he had been kneeling beside the couch. "I'd like to see you try," he said, smirking. Dark held out his hand to Krad, but Krad only stared at him.

"What do you want?" he repeated tersely.

"I thought you would like to come with me to pick up Satoshi," Dark explained, retracting his hand and instead shoving it in the pocket of his jeans. "Daisuke invited him to join us for dinner."

Krad leaned back into the couch again and turned his gaze back to the pages of his book. "I don't know why I should come along to pick up someone who despises me, to deliver him to your dinner."

Dark grabbed the book, which slid easily enough from Krad's hands. "Satoshi doesn't despise you, Krad. I mean, he certainly used to" – Krad crossed his arms over his chest and turned away slightly – "but that's all over now. And what do you mean by _my_ dinner? You're included, too." Dark tried to turn Krad's head to face him again. Krad turned, but still wouldn't look up. He pulled Dark's hand away from his face.

"I don't want to go with you."

Dark sighed. "Alright, fine." He ruffled Krad's hair a bit before bounding over to the foot of the stairs to Daisuke's room. "Daisuke! I'm going to grab that Hiwatari creep! You comin'?" Without waiting for an answer, Dark grabbed his coat and strode out the door, Daisuke scrambling about to catch up with him.

Kosuke watched Krad with a level of concern as he stared at the open book on the coffee table.

. . .

Haven't seen much from me in a while, have you? There's more to come in this one; for now I'm tired.


	3. Part 2

...Part 2...

"I thought Krad was coming, too," said a breathless Daisuke, as he climbed into the passenger seat of the car.

Having learned how to drive since the event of gaining a body of his own, Dark settled into the driver's seat and started the engine. "He didn't want to. Looks like it's just you and me again, kid."

Daisuke caught the distracted look in Dark's eyes when Dark flashed him a grin. Deciding not to comment on it, Daisuke smiled cheerfully back at Dark, as he backed the car into the street and drove onward.

Satoshi greeted them at the door a while later, clad in a ruddy turtle-neck sweater and old jeans. The edges of his mouth managed a pleasant smile when he saw Daisuke. "I almost thought you had retracted your offer," he said, "or forgotten to pick me up." Satoshi looked to Dark with a cool tone of amusement. "Did you get lost?"

"Of course not," Dark said defensively. "We're not _that_ late. Now hurry up and get into the car, before Emiko comes looking for us..."

Daisuke opened the backseat door for Satoshi, who paused before getting in. His narrow blue eyes met Daisuke's for a moment. "Thank you, Daisuke, for inviting me to your celebration."

Daisuke looked flustered. He smiled awkwardly. "It wouldn't be quite the same without you." Daisuke shut the door and went around to the other side of the car to sit in the back with his friend. "Besides, no one should be alone on a holiday."

"You guys ready to go?" Dark peered at the two of them in the rear-view mirror.

"Dark, you ought to buckle your seatbelt," Daisuke told him as the engine revved again.

Dark didn't argue, but rolled his eyes and begrudgingly put it on. The immortal Phantom Thief thought it ridiculous.

. . .

I know this is getting off to a slow start, but I don't really have a plan here, so bear with me...

Reviews would be much appreciated. Sometimes your thoughts or ideas help to move the story along, even if I don't necessarily use them.


	4. Part 3

"I don't need your _help_, Niwa!" Krad snatched up his long white coat and stormed out of the house just as the three other boys were walking in. His shoulder knocked into Dark's as he passed them.

Dark turned and managed to catch Krad by the arm. "Where do you think you're going?"

Krad glowered at Dark and tried to pull free, but Dark held tighter. His grip on Krad's arm loosened just as quickly when Krad staggered. Krad grimaced as large white wings unfurled from his back; one wing smashed against Dark's arm. Freed from his grasp, Krad tried to take to the sky. It almost didn't work, at first, but with another lunge he was gone.

Dark turned back to the people inside. "What just happened?"

. . .

_A bright light shone from the gem before either of them could touch it. It enveloped them. The voices of two boys tore into four cries, and all went dark._

_The four of them woke, dazed and confused, to the sight of each other on the ground. Dark and Daisuke both looked frantic for a moment. Silently, they had been calling to each other in their minds. When they looked each other in the face, they were both relieved and bewildered. Satoshi's head was throbbing. Krad was barely conscious, although he tried to stand._

_Dark noticed Krad's confusion despite the stubborn attempt to still try to attack. Having a bit more control of himself, Dark used the opportunity to take Krad down. Dark was weak, so the only option then was to tackle him. "It's no use, Krad." Dark was breathing heavily. Krad's head had hit the floor again and he grimaced against the pain. "It's over."_

_That was when Krad looked over and finally noticed Satoshi. The hostility in Krad's face seemed to melt away, replaced by a look of horror. His slant eyes went wide and his body froze._

"_It's over," Dark repeated quietly._

_Daisuke went over to Satoshi and helped him to his feet while Krad processed what was happening. Satoshi glanced warily at Krad before moving on to inspect the artwork that had done this to them. "Strange." Satoshi pointed to one of the two carved stones positioned together in the display case. "This one wasn't the one you were after, yet it was the one that reacted."_

"_Why?" Daisuke wondered._

"_I'm not sure."_

_Krad began to struggle against Dark, who still had him trapped against the floor. "Satoshi!" his voice was unsteady. "Fix this! Satoshi!" Krad shoved Dark hard, trying to throw him off. He began muttering, "This is wrong. I can't lose him. Everything... everything..." Krad managed to push Dark off and turned the situation around, pinning him down instead._

_By that time Satoshi had grabbed a larger stone carving from a nearby display and bashed it against the back of Krad's head. Krad blacked out instantly, collapsing on top of Dark. "That was satisfying," Satoshi said, staring down at Krad and then glancing at the rock in his hand. Dark rolled Krad's unconscious body off of himself and got up._

_Daisuke looked horrified. "I can't believe that worked."_

"_Yeah, me either," Dark agreed. "Nice going, Commander."_

_There was a stiff pause as they all looked down at Krad, waiting for him to suddenly recover. When he didn't, Daisuke wondered, "Now what do we do?"_

"_He's not staying with me," Satoshi said. He carefully rubbed a bit of blood off of the rock carving and placed it back in its display case. He ventured over to the small gems that had caused their current situation. After considering them for a while, he secured that case, too. "Leave those," he demanded, staring at Dark with narrow eyes. Dark nodded, and without another word, Satoshi turned and walked out._

_. . ._

"I'm not going after him," Satoshi said. "Who knows what Krad would do to me?"

"Sato –"

"Daisuke, I'm not going after him." Satoshi hung up his coat.

Daisuke looked determinately at the door. "Well, somebody has to. If you won't, then I will."

Dark rolled his eyes and stopped Daisuke mid-stride. "Don't even think about it, Daisuke." Dark's eyes were intense when he looked down at Daisuke. "You are probably one of the last people Krad wants to go looking for him. I'll go see if I can find him; see what's up and knock some sense into him." Dark opened the door again and stepped out. "Don't wait up for me," he said over his shoulder.

"Dark, wait." Kosuke came forward and handed him a small trinket. "It may help." Dark nodded and took off.

. . .

"_You can't keep me locked away here forever!" Krad pounded on the heavy door to the 'vault' where the Niwa family kept the artworks Dark had stolen. "Dark!"_

_No response._

"_Satoshi! Satoshi, I know you're out there! Satoshi..." Krad was at a loss. Everything was different. Everything had changed. He finally slid to the floor, and waited. It was all he could do._

_No one dared answer him. They had no way to anticipate what Krad would do if he were let out so soon._

. . .

Yay! A slightly longer chapter...


End file.
